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I know that some of you enjoy going to the lake, and almost
all of us have spent some time on a boat at some point. We bought an old boat a
few years ago because we lived only a few miles from a lake, and we thought it
would be fun. Joseph and I worked on that boat a little at a time. We tore
things out, put new things in, painted it, etc. It is fun to have a little
project like that boat that can take your mind off of things from time to time.
We had fun tinkering with it. Anyway, out on the lake we like to cruise around,
bask in the sun, park and swim, and just enjoy the water. Heading back to the
dock to load up is what we dread. Many times it is busy, crowded, and, listen,
we are not professionals. A boat tends to drift. It is hard to direct the boat
to the dock, and it is even harder to get it back on our trailer. I guess you
would call it a tri-hull, but you have to line it up on the rollers in the
middle. It takes lots of practice, close attention, and teamwork. We have never
spent enough time going to the lake to get good at it. If you do not pay careful
attention, you can really embarrass yourself in front of a crowd of people.

In our scriptural text today we are warned against two
things, drifting and neglecting. The author of Hebrews is concerned for the
Christians to whom he is writing. He is troubled that they may drift from the
message of Christ which they had heard and they may neglect a great salvation.
In this warning, the believers are exhorted to pay careful attention to the
things they have heard. They are also to be motivated by fear of the judgment
of God.

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Careful Attention
[Drifting] (1)

“Therefore” is always important. Based on everything the
author said in the first chapter, he now speaks to us (by the Holy Spirit) with
a word of exhortation and warning.

The Gospel message of Jesus as Creator, Christ, King,
Savior, and God is what you have heard. The message of Christ’s preeminence and
superiority has been proclaimed in your presence, and you have believed. Now
you must pay careful attention to that message. You must continue to grow in
it. You must continue to trust and glory in it.

I love the word that the NKJV uses, “Lest.” We will drift
away if we do not give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard. We
must pay the most careful attention to the Gospel or it will simply slip away
from us. This phrase, “Drift away” was used in ancient times to refer to
several things. The phrase was used to refer to a ring slipping off of
someone’s finger, water leaking out of a jar, something going the wrong
direction such as a piece of food going down the windpipe, a boat drifting away
from a pier to which it had been roped, or (I think) the best example is that
of a boat that is heading to harbor, but misses its desired port because it
drifted. Boats can drift for several reasons: strong currents/winds, or the
crew could be neglecting their duties. If the captain’s eyes are not set on the
desired port, they will not arrive there, but will drift away. What does he
have to do? He must pay the most careful attention. He must give earnest heed.
“Notice, however, that in Hebrews 2:1 it is the person who is drifting”
(Guthrie, 84). This language points to something subtle, doesn’t it? We are
told that a Christian can drift away from the faith before they even realize
it. You can easily end up far removed from the Gospel.

Just Punishment
[Neglecting] (2-3a)

We will see that Hebrews is showing throughout the book that
Christ is superior to all. What we see in verse two is that not only is Christ
superior to the angels, but the message that He proclaimed is greater than the
message that the angels declared. We are once again looking at a contrast which
will prove the author’s point about Christ. We can also begin to better
understand why the author has spent so much time contrasting Christ and the
angels. The Gospel proclaimed by Christ is far greater than the Law mediated by
the angels. He argues from the lesser to the greater. If the first point is
true, how much more meaningful is the second point?

In first century Judaism, it was a common tradition that
angels were on Mt. Sinai with God to declare the covenant with Israel. Yet,
there is some biblical background to this belief. In Deuteronomy 33:2 it says,
“The Lord came from Sinai . . . and He came with ten thousands of saints
[myriads of holy ones or angels].” The Apostle Paul says in Galatians 3:19, “The
law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.” Stephen says in Acts
7:38, “[Moses] was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke
to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to
pass on to us.” So, you see, many in the first century believed that the angels
were on Mt. Sinai to declare the word of God in the Mosaic Covenant. They were
the messengers of the Old Testament Law. The Law was the Word of God. It was
binding on the people. Every transgression and disobedience received a “just
reward,” which is used ironically to denote punishment (O’Brien, 85). The Law
was meant to put the fear of God in people. It was strict, it was hard.

What a wonderful message it is that Christ has delivered to
us! The Gospel greatly exceeds the Law. Christ is vastly superior to the angels.
If the message of the angels brought condemnation onto the heads of all those
who were disobedient, then how could one escape if they heard the Gospel of
salvation in Jesus Christ and chose to ignore it? I cannot say it any simpler
than the author of Hebrews has, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a
salvation?” The author of Hebrews has already demonstrated the superiority of
Christ over the angels, now he bases a new argument on that fact. If it was bad
to ignore the law, it is even worse to ignore the Gospel!

So Great a Salvation
(3b-4)

At the end of verse three and going into verse four, we get
some details about this great salvation. “The author rounds out his exhortation
by emphasizing the reliability of the message of salvation spoken through the
Son. . . (O’Brien, 88). This salvation was first announced by the Lord and then
it was confirmed by the Apostles and those who heard Him. The author and
recipients of Hebrews did not hear the Gospel directly from the lips of Jesus. They
were in many ways like us. They did not witness these things for themselves,
but believed what others declared to them. Of course, they heard it from those
who were first-hand witnesses, a privilege we do not share. God Himself bore
witness to this salvation in various ways: signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts.
Salvation is a work of the Triune God! The Lord [Jesus] first announced it; God
[the Father] has testified to it with signs, wonders, and miracles; and the
Holy Spirit has also testified to it by distributing diverse gifts. We can
expect no less than the wrath of God on those who neglect so great a salvation
that has been purchased, offered, and confirmed by the Triune God.

What were these mighty acts? Well, just think of the
ministry of Jesus. He was constantly performing great miracles which were meant
to be compassionate and merciful, but most importantly were to validate His
words. Jesus said, If you don’t believe my words as they stand, at least
believe My words because of the works which I have done. He healed all kinds of
diseases, He fed multitudes with only a picnic basket, He cast out demons, He
raised the dead and so much more. Now think of the ministry of the Apostles. As
they went out into the world preaching the Gospel, they were also accompanied
by many signs and wonders.

Notice that the signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts are not
the message. They are only witnesses to the message. They are supports and
proofs of what was being proclaimed by all those who went out sharing the Good
News of Christ crucified and risen. When we make the supernatural occurrences
the chief component of our message we have distorted the true Gospel. The Good
News is not that you will never get sick in this life, that every Christian
will speak in different languages, or that we will all be rich if our faith is
strong enough. No, the Gospel message is that God has done something for you in
the person and accomplishments of Jesus Christ that you could never do for
yourself. He has paid the penalty for your sin which allows you into a
relationship with God that will last forever. I don’t care about being rich now
if I can have an eternity with Christ in glory! All the wonders of this age
mean nothing to me in comparison to the great salvation that Christ has given
me! It is a powerful word. Great power surrounds it and is included in it.
Those mighty acts of testimony are just that, testimony. The Gospel is the true
power of God unto salvation for all who believe.

Conclusion and
Christian Application

(1) Remember what
we learned from the first paragraph of Hebrews: all of human history was
bringing us to these last days when Christ would speak to us. The exhortation
is for you and me to listen to what He is saying to us!

(2) If we are to
pay careful attention to what we have heard, then we are compelled to examine
again our response to the Gospel. You never grow out of the Gospel. You never
graduate from faith in Christ Jesus. You must continually trust Him and
continually respond to His saving work until the day you die. A disciple is a
learner. You must learn of Him until you breathe your last.

(3) Don’t
waste your life! Don’t drift through life with no aim or purpose. It is too
easy in America to claim the Christian faith and simply waste your time. You
are here for a reason. God has gifted and called you to do all sorts of
significant things in this world. Don’t waste your life!

Do you ever find yourself letting your mind wander when you
are reading your Bible? Maybe you begin to read the Bible, but you quickly put
it aside because it is too difficult or you end up more confused after you read
than when you first began. Maybe you even fall asleep when reading your Bible.
Why is that the case with many Christians? I think there are several reasons.
Let me give you a few: we do not first pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to enlighten
our minds to give us understanding of the Scriptures, we do not have the right
mind-set when we approach the Bible, we are often tired (around bed time) when
we decide to spend a few minutes reading, etc.

One of the most difficult things about studying the Bible is
trying to interpret the New Testament’s use of the Old Testament. People shy
away from studying the book of Hebrews because it uses the OT so much.
Sometimes we read a sentence in the New and look to the reference in the Old
and they do not line up. Why is that? Well, there are a few things that may be
going on: the New may quote the Old; the NT author may be paraphrasing the Old;
and lastly, our OT’s are translated from the Hebrew Masoretic texts, yet the NT
author may be quoting the Septuagint (Greek OT). That last thing is what
happens in the book of Hebrews. The author was well versed in the Greek language,
and he uses the Greek OT as his Bible. Today, we encounter several OT
quotations about the Christ. In verses one through four, we encountered seven
details about the Son of God. In verses five through fourteen, we encounter
seven OT references about the Son (five being from the Psalms). As we saw last
week, verse four introduced our subject for today: Christ is far better than
the angels. Jesus Christ is a more excellent name. The one point that I would
like for you to remember today is found in the title of the sermon: Angels
worship Jesus Christ, not the other way around. How can we be clear that Christ
is far greater than the angels? Angels worship Him.

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Christ’s Unique
Sonship (5)

In verse five, we see two OT quotes about Christ’s unique
Sonship in relation to God the Father. He is to be categorized with God rather
than men. Was Jesus fully humanity when He came to earth to sacrifice Himself?
Yes, that is true of Him. But before time began, in eternity past- Christ has
been the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The OT sometimes calls
angels, “sons of God.” Yet, none of the angels have ever been given the title
“Son” (the [singular] Son). Christ was Son even before the incarnation, but He
has been powerfully declared Son by the Father when He was seated at God’s
right hand. The two OT quotes in this verse come from Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel
7:14. Both of these verses refer to an earthly king of Israel in OT times, but
the author of Hebrews shows us that Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of them.
He is the Son who has been made King of the universe. What does it mean that
today He has been begotten? On the third day when He was resurrected combined
with the day that He ascended back to glory, the Father declared to all of
creation what has always been an eternal truth: “Jesus Christ is my Son, today
I have begotten Him. I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son.”

By asking us this question (“to which of the angels did He
ever say. . . ?), the author of Hebrews is not trying to figure something out.
He does not need our help in discerning the place of Jesus Christ. He heard
from the Apostles and was inspired by the Holy Spirit to proclaim with great
emphasis through a rhetorical question that God the Father has never spoken to
an angel in the way that He has Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the unique and superior
Son of God. No one shares this unique place with Him, not even the angels.

Angels Worship Him
(6-7)

For Christ to be “Firstborn” is to continue the Sonship
language. This does not mean that Christ is the descendant of God the Father,
and it does not mean that He was the first creature of the universe. “In this
Old Testament context [Psalm 89:27] it is a title of honour expressing priority
of rank” (O’Brien, 69). The OT verse quoted in verse six comes from Psalm 97.
The Psalm is calling on all the angels to worship God. Thus, the author of
Hebrews is calling Jesus Christ “God.” Angels are to worship the Son. For me,
it is a done deal when the argument gets to this point. If angels are to
worship Christ, then He must be far greater than any of them. In fact, the
picture is that of Christ sitting on His throne as King of the universe while
being worshipped and served by His angels who are ministering spirits. They
come and go as He pleases. They work and do as He sees fit. The verse quoted in
verse seven says just that. May I remind you that Christ is not only King of
the universe, but He is the Creator of all things (including the angels). In
the first paragraph of the chapter, we were told that Christ is the heir of all
things and that He made the worlds. He upholds all things by the word of His
power. Angels are subservient to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Creator of
all things, the King of the universe.

The Son’s Work is
Complete (8-12)

In verses eight through twelve, we get two more OT quotes
that are quite lengthy. They come from Psalms 45 and 102. Here we see that Christ
is explicitly called God. Notice His royal state in the words throne, scepter,
and kingdom (Morris, 19). What we learn from these verses is that Christ does
not belong to the created order (O’Brien, 72). He is set apart and above the
universe. The original context of the statement, “Your throne, O God, is
forever and ever” originally referred to a Davidic king. It does not seem
appropriate to call a mere human “God,” does it? I think it is because the
statement was ultimately intended to refer to Christ. He is God, whose throne
endures forever. The reason that David’s throne lasts forever is because Jesus
is sitting on it forever! The creation, we know, will wear out, but Christ will
remain. He will never change, but will always be the same. “He began the
universe and he will finish it” (Morris, 19).

Better than the
Angels (13-14)

The most famous of the OT quotes comes at the end of our
passage. Psalm 110:1 is quoted in reference to Christ. This Psalm is used often
in the NT to show the might and authority of the Son. God has never said to any
angel that He would seat them on a throne at His right hand. In fact, they are
the ones who are commissioned to work in order to destroy Christ’s enemies.
They are serving Him for all eternity. They are no more than servants. Christ
sits down, but they are constantly moving and working to accomplish His
purposes in the universe.

Not only do the angels serve Christ, but they serve His
brethren. The angles serve you! They are working to help you get to the finish line.
They are constantly protecting you, helping you, and serving you. They want you
to be saved because their Creator and King wants you to be saved.

Conclusion and
Christian Application

(1) Put angels in
their proper place. They are created for two tasks: worship Christ and serve
believers. They are mighty beings, but they are merely created.

(2) It is an
awesome thing to consider the salvation to which we have been called. We are
being saved by the mighty work of Jesus Christ and He has even sent His angels
to serve us to that end!

(3) The most
important thing you can do with chapter one of the book of Hebrews is to see
the big picture of Jesus Christ. We have now seen together that Christ sits in
a unique position. He is outside and above all of creation because He is, in
fact, the Creator. He is the heir of all things, the One who brought the worlds
into existence, and He upholds all things by His powerful word! He is the Son
of God in a way that no angel or man ever was or is. He is not an angel, but is
worshipped and served by angels. He has sat down on His throne because His work
is finished, and yet the angels continue to minister as He sees fit.

You will notice that, for the book of Hebrews, there is no
formal introduction as in a letter. There are no greetings, there are no
prayers, and no name is stated for the sender or the recipient. For this
reason, many have called this a sermon. We actually do not know what man wrote
this book or to whom he was writing it. Many suggestions have been made for the
sender and recipient. It is reasonable to believe that Apollos wrote it to congregations
in Rome.
Apollos was a well spoken, educated, and influential man who knew the
Scriptures and believed in Christ. The city of Rome had many congregations by the time this
was written (maybe in the AD 60’s), and there were many Jewish Christians
living in the Empire’s capital. What we can be certain about is the fact that
the document known as Hebrews was uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit. Hebrews
has made it into the New Testament, the canon of Holy Scripture, because of
what it declares. Isn’t that an awesome thought? The book is powerful in many
ways, but especially in its proclamation of the excellency and preeminence of
Christ in all things and its exhortations to believers to continue on in what
they have heard.

From the beginning of the sermon, the author dives head
first into the deep end of theology and doctrine. These believers had heard the
Gospel and believed; now they needed to mature in it. The same is true of us
today. You have heard the Gospel. You have believed it. Now there is a great
need for you to spiritually mature in the faith you heard from the beginning.
This is called discipleship and sanctification. Discipleship is to leave the milk of the word behind in order to
move on to solid meat. It is to press on in your learning. The Christian life
is not about hearing and believing in the beginning only. It is to become a
life-long learner of Jesus Christ, an eternity-long student of the great I AM. Sanctification is the process of
becoming holy. In the beginning of your Christian life, when you first believed
and were united to Christ, you were placed in a position of holiness “in
Christ.” God the Father looked at you and said that you are holy. Now, for the
rest of your life, the Lord calls you to move toward actually becoming holy.
This is called progressive sanctification. God has called you holy, now you
must become holy. The book of Hebrews will help us, encourage us, warn us, and
equip us to press on in discipleship and sanctification. There is much to learn
and apply to ourselves.

In today’s sermon, there is one thing that you need to know
from the passage: Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the final word. He is God’s
final revelation. The first four verses make up one long sentence in the Greek
New Testament. This one long sentence is written to demonstrate how God has
always been a speaking God, but now His speaking is complete. His final word
has been spoken. The final revelation has been made manifest. The Word has put
on flesh, dwelt among us, purged our sins, and has sat down at the right hand
of the Majesty on high.

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The Speaking God
(1-2a)

God is not a silent God. He has not remained in a heavenly
place, far away from His creation. He has constantly spoken and revealed
Himself. From the beginning, God spoke the worlds into existence. He spoke and
heaven and earth were created. He spoke and light came into the world.

God spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets. He
revealed himself to our ancestors long ago. He did so at various times and in
various ways. The Old Testament covers much of human history, especially in
relation to the formation of the Jewish people. It was written over a long
period of time as well. Think, also, about the variety of ways that God
revealed Himself in the Old Testament period. He did so by dreams, visions,
mighty acts, appearances, commands, promises, and more. As glorious as those
revelations and events were, they are now seen as incomplete when compared to
the final revelation that has come through the One who is Son.

Notice the parallel contrasts: the eras, in the past and in these last days; the recipients, our ancestors and us; the
agents, through the prophets and byHis
Son; and the ways, in various ways
and (implied) one way (O'Brien). The revelation
of God has come down to us, and God’s revelation has now come to fruition in
the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Descriptions of the
Son (2b-3a)

The Son is heir of all things. The Son has entered into the
fruition of His Sonship as heir of all things in His heavenly place. To be Son
and Heir is to fulfill a role. In that role, our Lord became flesh, was
obedient on earth, offered Himself for sins, and is now exalted. This is what
it means to be the Son of God which is why He is unique.

The Son made the worlds (universe). The One who is heir of
all things is the One who made all things. The word “worlds” can also mean
“ages.” He is the Creator of the ages. As Creator, He is sovereign over all
things.

The Son is the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the Son
is the express image of the Father’s person (the exact representation of His
being). “Brightness” means “radiance.” This is a great picture of how Christ is
the full revelation of God. It is not a reflected glory. He IS the glory of
God. He is not like the moon which is a mere reflection of the sun. He is the
radiance of the sun. To be even more exact, no one has ever actually seen the
sun, but we have seen the radiant beams of light which emanate from the sun. No
one has ever seen God, but Christ has made Him known. Christ has shown us God.
When you see Him, you see God. When you hear Him, you hear God. When you
worship Him, you worship God. “Thus the Son is a perfect ‘imprint’ of the ‘very
being’ of God” (Cockerill, 94). Together, these two phrases, “. . . preserve
the distinctness of the Son while affirming that the finality of his revelation
is based on his identity with the God he reveals” (Cockerill, 94).

The Son upholds all things by His powerful word. The One who
is heir of all things is the One who has created all things. He is the same One
who sustains all things. The wording actually tells us more than His sustaining
work. He is the One who directs the ages. He is orchestrating all things to
bring them to their intended purpose, God’s purpose. His ultimate purposes are
to make purification for sins and return to rule with His people in a restored
and cleansed kingdom. “Bearing all by His powerful word” is a phrase referring
to deity.

The Son’s Work is
Complete (3b)

The Son’s mission on earth was to purge our sins, to make
purification for sins. “Purged” means “cleansed.” He intends to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness, to remove all of the pollution of sin, and to remove the
barrier between humanity and God. He completed that mission and afterward sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. He has done what we cannot do.
He has paid the price for sin that was far too lofty for any of us to pay. The
debt is clear. The wrath of God is satisfied for all those who are in Christ.
He has borne the penalty for our sins as our substitute.

Better than the
Angels (4)

Christ has always been far better than the angels, but
“became” much better in a new way when He sat down after completing the plan of
redemption. As great as you may think that the angels are, Christ is far
greater. The author of Hebrews begins his letter (sermon) by declaring that
Jesus Christ is far better than the angels. The Jews of the first century had
an obsession with angels much like our culture today. Angels are considered
awesome beings, superior, elegant, authoritative, and much more. However great
you may think angels are, the book of Hebrews says, Christ is considerably more
excellent.

Conclusion and
Christian Application

(1) The entire
letter to the Hebrews was written with one reason in mind: to encourage
Christians who were faltering in their faith. It is a call to endure. Those
Christians in the first century were facing brutal persecution from the Jews
and later even the Romans. The message they needed to hear was that they had
made the right choice by coming to Christ. We need to hear the same message
today. No, we have not faced the same persecution that they did, but this world
is alluring. But listen, the truth of the matter is that God has spoken in
these last days by His Son. We do well to listen. If not, we are only building
up wrath for ourselves for the last day.

(2) Maybe
you are looking for a sign; or maybe you are waiting for an answer; or possibly
you are considering a verdict; let me help you, turn to Jesus Christ! His is
the more excellent name. He is God’s final word on all matters concerning life,
faith, salvation, and eternity.

I struggled for years trying to understand the mission of
the church. I still have bad habits of thinking wrong things about the mission,
sometimes. I have always believed in evangelism, foreign missions, and the
like. Yet, I looked around and saw so many churches that were committed to the
spread of the Gospel, but they didn’t really even know the Gospel themselves.
They wanted others to hear it and come to a knowledge of the truth, but they
themselves were/are not growing in it. That is why I wanted to talk last week
and this week about the church, gathered and scattered. We need to gather to
grow in the Gospel, and we need to scatter to share the Good News with others.
What was confusing for me is no longer an issue. I can say as a matter of fact
that Matthew 28:16-20 is the mission of the church. We do not have to spend a
year writing a “mission statement” like all of these other churches who are
trying to follow a business model. All we have to do is stop and listen to our
Shepherd’s voice. He is saying, “Go and make disciples of all the nations.”

I’m going to give you the ABCDE of the Great Commission
passage:

Appointment – Basis – Commission – Discipling – Eternal
Promise

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The Appointment
(vv16-17)

16 Then the eleven disciples went away
into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had
appointed for them.

17 When they saw Him, they worshiped
Him; but some doubted.

The twelve chosen disciples, who were made Apostles, were
now down to eleven. Judas Iscariot had fulfilled Scripture, obeyed Satan, and
ultimately went to the place where he belonged. The remaining eleven had
basically scattered, except for John who had followed Jesus to the trial before
the Sanhedrin and then to Calvary where Christ
was crucified. Now the eleven have been restored to fellowship and obedience.
They have followed the command of Jesus to go into Galilee
to a certain mountain.

At the beginning of the 28th chapter, Matthew
recounts how an angel of the Lord commanded the women who had gone to the tomb
to tell the disciples that Christ had been raised from the dead and the He was
going ahead of them into Galilee where the
disciples would see Him. Jesus met the women on their way to tell the
disciples, and He tells them the same thing, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My
brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will
see Me.” The women were obedient and so were the disciples. Apparently, Jesus
gave them a specific location on a mountain, or hillside, of where to meet Him.
Notice a couple of things: first, special things often happen on a mountain in
the Bible, and especially in Matthew; second, this takes place in Galilee which is Gentile territory. Put these two ideas
together, and you can see that the Lord is about to reveal something special
that is going to be for the whole world.

Now look at verse seventeen. How awesome would it be to see
the resurrected Lord?! When the group of disciples saw Him, all they could do
was bow down to Him. They literally bent their knees and bowed their faces to
the ground. While they all did this, some of the group doubted. What did they
doubt? Did they doubt themselves, or what they were seeing, or the
resurrection? The word Matthew chooses for doubt refers more to hesitation than
to unbelief. I think that some of them were confused and did not know how to
react to this encounter with the risen Lord.

The Basis (v18-19a)

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. . . .

19 Therefore. . . .”

We have already seen the stage set for something special.
What is it that Jesus will do or say? He comes and speaks. The first thing he
says is, “All authority has been given to Me.” Do you realize the magnitude of
this statement? This is the One was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life,
taught the deep things of God, performed mighty miracles, willingly gave up His
life on a cross for the sins of the world, and was raised from the dead. This is
the One who says, “All authority is Mine.” What is the scope of His authority?
It is all authority in heaven and on earth. That covers it
all! We have come to the climax and conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew has
been leading to this point, showing that Jesus is King over all. Now we hear
and see it plainly.

What is it that Jesus is saying? How is it that He can make
such a claim? This claim can only be true if Jesus is fully God. Only God has
authority in heaven and on earth. Yet, Jesus is distinct from the Father. This
authority “has been given” to Him in the sense that He has fulfilled all He
intended to do according to the Father’s plan. He has paid for the sins of many
as the substitute on the cross, and He has been raised from the dead. When did
He give it up so that now He can receive it again? When Christ came in the
likeness of men and put on flesh, He emptied Himself of His divine authority.
While He still exhibited great authority and power, He was limited during His
ministry. Now He has returned to that glorious place of sovereign power and
authority with the ransom for sin paid and the resurrection as a thundering
statement of victory.

This is the basis on which Christ makes His command. He uses
the word “therefore” to say, because I
have all authority (on that basis), I command you to go and make disciples.
What a privilege it is to know the One who has all authority in heaven and
earth! What an obligation it is to be entrusted with His commands!

The Commission (v19a)

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

On the basis of all that we have discussed, the Lord Jesus
commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations. Christ’s
authority extends over all the nations, and the Good News of His sin-forgiving,
life-giving work is to stretch out to all the nations. Yet, the emphasis is not
so much on going, but it is really about making disciples. That can be done
here and there. In fact, it must be done here and there. The main point is that
disciples are to be making more disciples wherever they find themselves in this
world.

The word “disciple” means “learner.” The Lord commands us to
make learners. We are not talking about simply getting people to raise their
hands, sign a card, or come down the aisle. We are talking about uniting people
with Christ through baptism and helping them to become life-long learners
through teaching them to observe all the things Christ has commanded. That is a
true disciple, anything less than that is not worthy of the call that we have
found in Jesus Christ. We can see this described in the next couple of phrases.

The Discipling
(vv19b-20a)

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you;

At the end of verse nineteen and the beginning of verse
twenty, we get two primary components of the process of making disciples.
First, a person who has heard the Good News, believed it, and repented of their
sins must be baptized. Second, that person must be taught to observe the
commands of Jesus.

Let us start with the baptizing. The word most naturally
means to immerse. In the context of the New Testament, it means to be immersed
in water. A passage of Scripture such as Romans 6 makes clear the fundamental
nature of baptism and the Christian life. We are taught in that chapter that
baptism united the believer with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are united with Him
in death and resurrection. Baptism is the time when we begin to walk in newness
of life. It marks the beginning of our Christian lives, our eternal lives. To
be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is
to come into union with the Triune God. It is to become completely associated
with all that He is, all of His person and accomplishments.

When a person has heard the Gospel, believed it, repented of
their sin, and been baptized, they have just begun! After that initial
conversion, they are to spend the rest of their lives learning to observe all
that Christ has commanded. I have been called to be a pastor/teacher, so I have
a great part in helping you to follow Christ’s commands, but guess what? We
have all been commanded to teach others.

The Eternal Promise
(v20b)

and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the
age.” Amen.

We are to continue to make disciples until the end of the
age, and Christ will be with us every step of the way. That is a promise. We
know that this promise is true and that He will be faithful to it for several
reasons, one of the greatest being His fulfillment of the Father’s plan. He saw
it through until the end. He will also see us through until the end. Christ’s
return will mark the end of this age. He will return in the clouds, physically
and literally. Until that day, Christ will be present with us by means of the
Holy Spirit. He is truly Immanuel, God with us.

Conclusion and
Christian Application

(1) Notice the
word that holds this passage together: “All.”

All Authority – All the Nations – All Things – Always.

This is an all encompassing summary of what Christ has done
and intends to do. It is an all encompassing passage declaring our mission in
this world. In the Upper Room the night of His betrayal and the night before
His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus prayed to the Father and said, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world. . . .”
If we are left here, what is the purpose? Here it is: Be fruitful and multiply,
that is, Go and make disciples.

(2) Some of
us are called to international evangelism. Some of us are called to local
evangelism. All of us are commanded to make disciples. Are you a sheep of the
Great Shepherd’s fold? Do you hear His voice? He is saying, “Go and make
disciples of all the nations.”

Istanbul, Turkey
is the only city in the world located on two continents.

There are
six million parts in the Boeing 747-400.

The Tonle SapRiver
in Cambodia
flows north for half the year, then south for the rest.

For more
than 3,000 years, carpenter ants have been used to close wounds in India, Asia, and South America.

The typical
lead pencil can draw a line that is thirty five miles long.

Lighting
flashes around the globe about 100 times per second or 8 million times per day.

DID YOU
KNOW . . . THE CHURCH WAS NOT HERE UNTIL YOU ARRIVED!

Now, why would I include that last truth with those other
wild and fun facts? We already know that we are the church. The people make up
the church, not the building, or the property, or the website, or the
technology. . . . We know that the church is the people, but I am convinced
that we do not usually think in those terms. Today, I would like to talk a
little bit about the church: what it is and what it is to be doing when it is
gathered. We will do so from Ephesians 4:11-16. We will not be able to cover everything there is to be said about the church, but let's make some observations from this passage about the purpose of church leadership, the purpose of the gathered church, and what it is to be a properly functioning and healthy body.

READ Scripture- This
is the Word of God

The Purpose of
Leadership (vv11-12)

To find out who the “He Himself” is we must look back to
verse seven, and we realize that verse eleven refers to Christ. Christ gifts
the church with leadership. Notice that the church does not decide how the
leadership is to be structured. Christ has decided how He wants His church to
be led, and He has given men to do certain tasks. I am overwhelmed by the
provisions of God. Do you realize that God will give you everything you need to
follow Him? When He says, “Abide in Me,” He goes on to say, “I will abide in
you.” When He says, “Endure until the end,” He also says, “I will not give you
more than you can bear.” When He says, “Work out your salvation with fear and
trembling,” He says, “It is Me who works in you.” And the list can go on and
on. How is this related to verses 11-12? Christ wants His church to be equipped
for works of service, so He gives certain leaders to do the equipping.

Apostles: “Sent
ones.” The unrepeatable foundation of the church. The men who established
doctrine. Uniquely inspired to write holy Scripture. There are no more Apostles
today.

Prophets: In the
NT age they were primarily preachers. They declared what the apostles taught.
They were a major part of the establishment of the NT church. Is there a
prophetic ministry today? Possibly; but I do not think that the office of the
prophet is active today.

Evangelists:
Church planters and missionaries. They declared the Gospel. We learn from the
work of Timothy that they were also trouble shooters. Evangelists are active
today.

Pastor/Teachers:
There are four groups of leaders in the passage grouped by the word “some” or
maybe “the”: Some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some
pastor/teachers.

This is the only place in the NT where the word “pastor” is
used in the translation. Everywhere else the word “shepherd” is used. This word
is equivalent to a few other NT words in English: pastor, shepherd, elder,
overseer, and bishop. These all refer to the same thing. The function of the
pastor is two-fold; it is to shepherd and teach. Some elders labor more on the
governing side, while others labor more on the teaching side. The church needs
both. I am a pastor/teacher. I am here to help shepherd the flock of God which,
in this case, is specifically the Rural Hall Church of Christ. My job is to
help lead and feed. I do so primarily through the exposition of Scripture.

Why am I to do this? So that you are “equipped.” That word
refers to setting something in its rightful place. It is to mend something. It
is to provide what is needed. Christ wants you to collectively have all that
you need – preparation, resources, encouragement, etc. – to do what He has
called you to do. The “ministry” belongs to the church, and proper equipping
will lead to proper service. Individually, we all have things that the Lord has
called us to do, but the work of ministry belongs to the church, not only one
person. I am a minister, and so are you! This refers to works of service. God
has called us to do a variety of things, and we will talk about that a little
more next week. Let me say this, Christ wants an every-member ministry. The
elders and I have discussed how we must work together as a team to shepherd
this congregation. All of you, too, must work together as a team to accomplish
God’s commands for Christians and the ministry that He has entrusted to us.

Not only does God want to use me to equip you, but He also
wants to use me to “edify” you. This word, as many of you know, means to build
up. It was used to refer to the construction of a house or building. It refers
to development. Christ wants you to develop through the Word.

The Purpose of the GatheredChurch (vv13-14)

UNITY- of the faith and of the knowledge of the
Son of God

“Till we all come to the unity. . . .”

Each Christian must grow up into maturity. There is nothing
worse than a spiritually immature believer who has been a Christian for
decades. But, an individual growing to maturity is not enough. Christ wants us
to collectively come to maturity. We can grow in appreciation for the person
and works of Christ best when we do it together. You can grow as a Christian
best when you are growing with others.

The word “perfect” can refer to: status, we are perfect in
Christ; ultimate/complete sinlessness, which will only come at the end of the age;
or maturity, which is to be sought after in this life. Christ does not expect
you to be completely sinless as He was in this life, but He does expect you to
become spiritually mature.

Christ is the head of the body. When a baby is born the head
is usually larger than the body. The body must catch-up to the head. It must
develop; it must grow up into the head. The church is the same way with us as
the body and Christ as the head. He has called us perfect, not we must become
perfect.

In verse 14, we have the same thing basically said in a
negative sense. Christians are not to be spiritual children forever. We must
become established, strong, and rooted. As Psalm 1 says, we are to be like a
tree that is planted by the streams of water. That way, when the winds blow,
and they will blow, we will not be tossed to and fro. We will not be carried
away. This word is ready to preach another gospel to you, any other gospel to
you, which is really no gospel at all. Satan wants you to believe anything but
what Christ has said and done.

Proper Function of
the Body (vv15-16)

To counteract this world and Satan himself, we must speak
the truth, and we must speak it in love. Each part of the body must do its
share for the body to function properly. An unhealthy situation occurs when
some part is not doing what it is supposed to do.

The Apostle’s discussion ends with the idea of love. Love is
what covers a multitude of sins. Love is what is lasting. Love is the force
behind all that we do as Christians. The church should not feel ashamed for
seeking the best for its own. This is almost a foreign concept in the American
church today. We think so much about what we need to do in our communities and
not what we need to do when we gather.

Conclusion and
Christian Application

(1) Do you only
view yourself as an individual or as a “part” of the church? In America, we
have been taught since we were children that we have to look out for ourselves.
We have to be independent. We have to beat out the competition. Yet, that is
not what the New Testament teaches. We are each living stones being built
together to create the spiritual temple in which the Spirit of God may dwell.

(2) Will you
commit to an every-member ministry as Christ desires of us?

(3) Every
Christian is gifted by the Holy Spirit to do something for the church. What are
you good at? What do you like to do? Do that very thing for the church with all
your might.